The digital divide is going into reverse. Until recently, it was all about access to technology; but now, it’s about limiting access to technology. Among those who know most about tech, the worry about the impact that digital devices have on their children is such that they are moving toward a complete or partial ban. In Silicon Valley, elite schools now eschew most digital devices…
5 Trends in Wellness Tourism Wellness, hospitality, and travel businesses are converging. Since wellness tourism burst into mainstream consumer consciousness a few years ago, the industry has evolved rapidly. Businesses and governments are investing in developing new strategies, products, experiences, and destinations. Wellness, hospitality, and travel are converging in diverse and unprecedented ways, as businesses experiment with new partnerships and business models to offer expanded…
MONTHLY BAROMETER It is often said that technology destroys jobs but not work. True indeed. But many new jobs are being created beyond tech. “Pet wellness”—a fast-growing business—is one such example. Although why some of us (in increasing numbers) treat our animals as if they were humans is not easy to explain, the investment case of anthropomorphism is incontrovertible. This year, pet spending in the…
A new report from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveal that the number of Americans practicing yoga and meditation is booming. Fifty percent more adults are doing yoga now than in 2012 while meditators have grown over 300 percent. The surprise: These gains pale in comparison with the increases among kids and teens. The study…
By Thierry Malleret, economist The Big Tech companies, such as Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook, are now using data and augmented reality to enter the retail beauty market, aiming to disrupt the bricks-and-mortar stores that currently dominate this massive industry. What’s happening? Amazon already owns 20 percent of the online retail beauty market but is aiming to expand further with the recent launch of a line…
MONTHLY BAROMETER The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on the current state of climate makes for grim reading. Its overarching conclusion is that every fraction of a degree of warming matters; and that if we want to limit global warming to 1.5˚ C (2.7˚ F) in the hope of averting catastrophe, we have as little as 12 years to act, which requires…
